Die, Monster, Die!
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Movie Reviews of Die, Monster, Die!
Movie Review: Nick Adams, Johnny Yuma of the REBEL TV show stars with Boris Karloff.
Summary: 4 Stars
Although I had worked as Nick's secretary I missed this film until it was recently shown on the HD network. I was surprised. The color of the print and story wasn't bad for those days. I bought it and have watched it a few times. I'm glad the HD network made it available for viewing. It's not Blu Ray or a HD DVD but still a very good transfer.
The Nick I mention is Nick Adams who starred as Johnny Yuma in the TV series. His son Jeb, starred in FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC. I was glad Amazon had the DVD.
Movie Review: "But Steve, no one ever goes into the greenhouse at night."
Summary: 3 Stars
American International Pictures, or AIP for short, found great success as Roger Corman exhumed any number of Edgar Allan Poe stories for the silver screen, so much so they turned their eye on another influential horror writer in that of H.P. Lovecraft, cranking out such features as The Haunted Palace (1963), The Dunwich Horror (1970), and this film, titled Die, Monster, Die! (1965), the latter two both directed by Daniel Haller, who would later move to the small screen directing such series as "Quincy", "Battlestar Galactica", "The Fall Guy", and "Knight Rider". Starring in Die, Monster, Die! is Boris Karloff (Frankenstein, The Old Dark House, The Ghoul), pushing 77 years of age at the time (but still going strong), and Nick `Johnny Yuma' Adams (Frankenstein Conquers the World, Godzilla Vs. Monster Zero), who would pass away three short years later due to an overdose of prescription pills. Also appearing is Freda Jackson (The Valley of Gwangi, Clash of the Titans), Suzan Farmer (Dracula: Prince of Darkness), and Patrick Magee (The Masque of the Red Death, A Clockwork Orange, Demons of the Mind).
After nearly three and a half torturous minutes of opening credits, we get into the story proper as we see a young man named Stephen Reinhart (Adams) getting off the train at a small, English village called Arkham in search of the Witley estate (when the various townspeople hear this, they get tightlipped and standoffish). Unable to find a ride, Steve hoofs it into the countryside, passing a large crater on the moor, eventually coming upon the large and uninviting estate. Okay, here's the deal...Steve got himself involved with a bubblehead named Susan (Farmer) while they were both in college, and now has come to England at the invitation of Susan's mother, Letitia (Jackson), much to the consternation of the Susan's wheelchair bound father Nahum Witley, played by Karloff (seems old man Witley's a scientist of sorts, and fears Steve's present will muck things up somehow). Anyway, the old lady is sick, suffering from some unknown ailment, and pleads with Steve that he take Susan away as there's bad mojo about (Susan is reluctant to leave her parents high and dry). Turns out old man Witley has a secret in the cellar (and in the greenhouse), a secret that glows a sickly green and seems to be having peculiar effects on the Witley household (Merwyn the butler ends up suffering a slight case of death during the dinner service). Steve begins nosing about and learns many years ago a mysterious object crashed to Earth and was collected by Nahum's father, who was involved (and eventually consumed) in some not so scientific activities. The object has since passed to Nahum, who, perhaps in an effort of atonement, has been trying to find more practical applications for the mystery object, but alas, his hubris may have doomed him and his family much like it did his father...
If you're coming into this with high hopes a truly faithful adaptation of the works of H.P. Lovecraft, then you're going to be disappointed...but let's face it, the guy penned some seriously twisted material, so to think a low budget AIP film from the mid 1960s could adequately capture his vision would be somewhat foolish If your expectations aren't too high, and you're a fan of Karloff's (who plays the mad scientist bit for the umpteenth time), then this is worth checking out. Karloff is, well...Karloff, not much else needs to be said, except that, pushing nearly 80 years of age, he was just as professional as he ever was, pretty much blowing everyone else off the screen, especially his co-star Adams, in my opinion. I didn't care for Adams' character at all here, and not because it was written poorly, but because Adams comes off as an incredibly overbearing American type, one who has an overwhelming sense of entitlement, constantly flying off the handle at a moment's notice, ultimately bullying his will upon others. Now granted, given the odd goings on at the house some of his behavior might have been warranted (eventually), but his brash and overly aggressive attitudes just rubbed me the wrong way. You just don't walk into someone's house and start prying up their secrets like one would pry up the floorboards on an old house with a crowbar. Seriously, in one scene it's the middle of the night and he's in the library of the house, perusing through a private journal. Soon after this he's sneaking about the house, following Karloff's character around, determined to get to the bottom of things no matter what. As far as the other actors, well, they were there... Freda Jackson spends most of her time in bed, shrouded by curtains while Suzan Farmer's role is pretty much limited to the pretty damsel (with the nice rack) in distress bit (she had a more substantial role in the 1966 Hammer horror feature Dracula: Prince of Darkness). Magee pops up as the town doctor whose lost his zest for medicine since witnessing something he wished he hadn't at the Witley estate, and has since developed a problem with alcohol (yeah, he can't get enough!). One aspect that came across very well for me was the expansive, detailed, and atmospheric interiors of the Witley house. Some of it looked sort of hokey (the pit area in the cellar), but, overall, I thought it was a most excellent set up. The special effects are fairly low rent, especially in terms of the various creatures lurking about the greenhouse, looking like leftovers from a Sid and Marty Krofft production. To be fair, it's a well-documented fact that the abominations i.e. dark things best left alone described in Lovecraft's work so defy what we consider reality that to be in the presence of one would completely scramble one's mind, so I wasn't expecting great things in terms of true to source presentations. I'm not even sure what the creatures in the greenhouse were (mutations or beast from another world or dimension), as it was never detailed in the story. Despite some major flaws (i.e. Adams, moving the story from New England to England, etc.), the movie is entertaining and good for some cheap thrills.
The picture, presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1), looks decent, but does show signs of age, as there is some slight wear present, but nothing to freak out about, as the films is intact. The Dolby Digital mono audio, provided in both English and French, comes through clean. In terms of extras, there are French and Spanish subtitles (no English ones), along with a shoddy, obviously thrown together original theatrical trailer. This film was originally released on DVD by itself, but was later appropriately re-released on DVD as part of a double feature with The Dunwich Horror (1970).
Cookieman108
By the way, what's up with Karloff's character near the end? Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto indeed (this will make a lot more sense after you've seen the movie)...
Movie Review: BAD TITLE, DECENT MOVIE
Summary: 3 Stars
Many have tried to take the works of H.P.Lovecraft and turn them into money making films. To date, only one has succeeded to the extent it made a return on its investment and became a hit with the fans (THE RE-ANIMATOR). This gem made in 1965 does a fairly decent job and is much better than I recalled.
During the sixties, many of us grew up with the late night horror host, screening some good horror films as well as many a low budget classic. We never cared if they were good or bad, we tuned in to see the antics of the host and to see anything relating to horror. A large number of those films came from American International Pictures, or AIP. The Poe tales made by Roger Corman starring Vincent Price, colossal beasts and giant monsters all formed our impression of horror. This movie is one of the more subtle films they made.
Sixties star Nick Adams plays Stephen Reinhart, an American who has traveled to England at the request of the mother of Susan Witley (Suzan Farmer), a young woman he met and fell in love with. The townsfolk are completely inhospitable to Stephen as he looks for a way to the Witley estate. Ending up on foot, he arrives to be welcomed by her father, Nahum Witley (Boris Karloff), if welcome means telling you to leave at once.
Susan arrives and Karloff is convinced to allow the young man to stay one night. She takes him upstairs to meet her mother Letitia (Freda Jackson) who has been awaiting him. Bedridden and prone to a dislike of light, hiding in the shadows of drapes round her bed, Letitia speaks alone to Stephen, begging him to take Susan away.
Of course Susan refuses to leave her mother and Karloff scowls with each glimpse of the young American. During dinner the conversation is more one sided than anything and ends when Karloff's man servant falls to the floor. Hiding something from all in the house, Karloff says he can manage things (even while in a wheelchair) and the young couple leaves.
Twists and turns and shadows on windows lead to Stephen going into town the next morning to find out just what is going on. Attacked on the way, he is undeterred and makes his way to a doctor he finds listed in the phone book. The doctor (Patrick Magee) gives him no information but his assistant does. Determined to get to the bottom of things, Stephen returns and with Susan's help discovers the secret hidden at Witley manor.
Sure, this movie has been around for over 40 years now but no way am I going to give away the answers here. To find out what is going on in the creepy mansion you're going to have to rent or purchase the film (it is vastly available; I purchased mine at Big Lots for only $3).
The sets are well made, the acting decent enough for a low budget picture and the atmosphere is well maintained in this gem. The special effects may be a little lacking for today's audiences, but if you keep in mind this was a movie made with little to no money and done back in '65, it's not half bad.
Karloff remains an icon in the world of horror cinema. Even here with little to do and stuck playing most of his part from a wheel chair (he was 77 when he made this movie), he turns in a performance that feels true and not forced.
So this movie may not be the mega blockbuster of the year or of the year it was released. It is a fun, eerie little piece of horror fiction that is sure to be enjoyed by fans of the genre, or even those who have not become fans yet. Rather than gory effects, this movie bases its scares on fears of the time. It's a nice little time capsule that is a must for Karloff and horror fans.
Movie Review: Uneven Yet Campy Karloff Horror!
Summary: 3 Stars
And with that emphatic plea, we find our young hero coming off a train into a standard village with standard drinkers and standard gossipers and scoffers.
A very unfriendly town: whenever our hero (played by Nick Adams) he says "where's the Whitley place" no one helps him, everyone scoffs at him and no one explains why. Usually there's a person in these kinds of movies that explains the evil that is in the inevitable spooky mansion on the hill but not this time. Quite annoying to the viewer as well as the hero.
Boris Karloff plays a man who has discovered a meteor from space in his backyard which has killed many living things in its path due to extreme radiation. He wants to use that radiation to make better gardens but instead creates horrors and death.
The movie is predictable and does not play well as a Roger Corman film would. The dark and stormy night is fine but when creatures in a greenhouse are discovered, their origins are not explained.
The weird psychedelic colors and such in the beginning are a bit much.
And, director Daniel Haller is no Roger Corman but you can see some of the Corman feel in this picture -- the mansion, the colors, the cute babe who must be rescued from the evil scientist gone mad father. Not much of Lovecraft here, a bit hackneyed but fun to watch Karloff play it straight.
The hero also makes a trip to a doctor's office in the village (mid-film) and the doctor also explains nothing. A complete waste of time and should have been left on the cutting room floor.
Karloff has done better than this and his command of the situation is overshadowed by the overacting of Nick Adams. The plot plods along painfully, but the infusion of horror and sci-fi and the acting power of Karloff, nearly 80 in this film, makes the viewing palatable.
Based on a Lovecraft tale, Colours from Out of Space. Recommended for Karloff fans but not a lot here. An American International picture.
Movie Review: Typical 60s AIP Brit-Horror
Summary: 3 Stars
Whether or not you like the style of the films AIP made in the UK in the mid-sixties will determine what you think of this. Nick Adams arrives in the cosy little English village of Arkham and discovers peculiar goings-on up at a big old house where Boris Karloff is creating strange mutated things in his greenhouse with the aid of a glowing green meteorite. Boris's wife is starting to mutate as well and she manages to go on the rampage and get her face melted before the whole thing ends predictably in flames. Daniel Haller's exercise in adapting Lovecraft was presumably filmed around Bray studios as the house used for the exterior shots is none other than Oakley Court, the location used for many a classic British horror film including The Reptile, Vampyres and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. As a piece of filmic Lovecraft the picture doesn't really work. If, however, you want a well-preserved widescreen slice of mid-sixties Brit horror then look no further. MGM's print has a few scratches but the colour photography in the opening scenes of the railway station and the village must look as good as (if not better than) when the film was first released. The special effects are what you would expect from this time period - psychedelic colour filters and rubber puppets twisted into funny shapes to simulate the greenhouse mutations. Good value for money, even if the only extras are a trailer and chapter selections.